Monday, April 7, 2008

A Bubble I Wasn't Aware of: Sawdust

From the Seattle Times:

Sawdust: Once a nuisance, now valuable

As huge saws rip through logs at the Hancock Lumber sawmill, sawdust flies through the air and coats equipment, floors and rafters. Far from a nuisance, though, the sawdust is commanding premium prices as housing construction slumps and energy costs grow. From Maine to Oregon, the price of sawdust, along with other wood byproducts, has soared.When they can find it, sawdust buyers — dairy farmers, particleboard makers, wood-pellet manufacturers among them — are paying up to $50 a ton or more. That's double what they paid a year ago, some say....MORE